Surgical sewing instrument.



- No. 834,042. PATBNTED OCT.- 23,- 1906.

' P. BEHR.

SURGICAL SEWING INSTRUMENT; Arrmonlou FILED 0011a, 1905. v

minus 1 2/0210)" m f w UNITED srArEs PATENT OFFICE.

PETER BEHR, or HANOVER. GERMANY.

SURGICAL SEWING INSTRUMENT.

No. 834,042. 7 4 I Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct. 23,1906.

Application filed October 13,1905. Serial No. 282.623.

7T0 {LU/whom it y OOWOWR; l lowed out to a mere shell h, so that they may Be it known that LPETER BEHR, doctor of receive a reel or coil of thread or thread medic ne, a subject ofthe German Empeholderf or case f containing the latter. The ror, residing at N o. 9 Groethestrasse, Hano 1 case is held within the hollowed portion by' 5 ver, in the German Empire, have invented means of lugs or projections g, which may be 60 certain new and useful Improvements in either slid into the holder members or be rig- Surgical Sewing Instruments, of which the idly connected thereto or integral therewith.

following is a specification. The thread-holderf is assumed to be one of. The present invention relates to a surgical the known sterilized packages sold in com- 1 sewing instrument having an antiseptic merce, but the thread must be adapted to be 65 threadguide, this instrument being distineasily unwound therefrom. Other suitable.

' uished from those hitherto known by the coils or 'reels of thread can obviously be in act that all parts of the needle-holderare serted and sterilized together with the in easily removable and adapted to be thorstrument.

I oughly cleansed, since there are no edges or The threadt' passes from the thread-recep- 70 holes to which micro-organisms might adtacle through a groove k, formed in one'of the here, and, further, the improved instrument members---for instance, bsaid groove being after sterilizing guarantees the antiseptic concovered by the other member a, and at a short dition of the sterilized thread, since owing distance in front of the needle the groove is to the position of the latter it is completely provided with a lateral opening is, Fig. 3, -7 5 prevented during normal use from accidenthrough which the thread i makes its exit. tal contact with the hands of the operator The needle (1, which may be of various shapes or other objects until its entrance into the according to the use to which it is to be put, edge of the wound to be sewed. At the is provided at its point with an eye 1, comsame time the improved needle having the municating with a longitudinal slot m, for re- 80 sewing-thread of any desired length inclosed ception of the thread.

in the needle-holder permits of making any The instrument is used as follows: The desired number of single-knot seams without thread-receptacle f is first inserted in the necessitating the removal of the needle from hollowed part h of one member and the its holder and rethreading of the needle, threadipassed through the groove k, where- 85 thus saving considerable time and dispensupon the other member is folded or placeding with assistance to a great extent. against the first member and the clamping- The invention is represented in the an lever c raised. After inserting the needle nexed drawings, in whichthe clamping-lever e is pressed down, by

5 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete which the needle is secured. A natural elas- 9a instrument. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. ticity is obtained by the shell-shaped con- Fig. 3 is a face view of, one member of the struction of the holder members a and b, so holder, showing the thread inserted therein. that the holder automatically adjusts or Fig. 4 is a detailed view in perspective of a adapts itself to the thickness of the needle in clamping-lever for securing the two memsuch a manner that a thicker needle, the use 95 bers of the holder together, and Fig. 5 1s a of which naturally requires the exertion of side view of the needle. greater force than a thin one, is more se- The two members or halves a, b of the curely clamped, according to its thickness. holder or handle are pivoted or hinged to- In the case illustrated the clamping-lever e gether at one end, as at c, and at their other is formed as an angle-lever, but it may be 100 ends are adapted to grip theneedle d. The formed as an eccentric-lever or the like. The 'clampingd ever e is pivotally mounted in the thread i passed through the 'groove k and jaws a and is ada ted to press the member a projecting at the end of the instrument is against the mem er I), and thus insure the passed into the slotmintheneedle and the eye needle (1 being securely held. I threaded. When the whole instrument has I o 5 The method of pivoting the two members been finally sterilized, the thread can be and the construction of the clamping-lever 6 used until consumed without again touching may vary according to requirements. it with the hand, except when tying a knot.

At the rear part of the needle-holder the By passing the thread through the stitches of two members a and b are not solid, but holthe seam it is carried along to the opposite 11o end and there held fast, the needle being for clamping said members together substanthen pulled back along the thread unwinding from the receptacle and the thread cut to the necessary length. The seam is then complete. The needle is again ready for use without removing same from the holder, and the thread in the wound is completely antiseptic. After tying the ends of the thread the wound is closed.

Owing to the simplicity of the instrument, the great saving of time in stitching the wound, and the certainty of a completely-antiseptic sewing-thread, the present invention is a great advance in the surgical treatment of wounds.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a surgical sewing instrument, a longitudinally-divided holder consisting of two separable members each having a hollowed portion cooperating to form a thread-receptacle and an extended portion cooperating to form a needle-clamp combined with means tially as described.

2. A surgical sewing instrument comprising a longitudinally-divided holder consisting of two hinged members each having at one end a hollowed portion cooperating to form a thread-receptacle and one of said members having a longitudinal threadgroove in communication with said receptacle, means for holding the thread in the latter, a needle held between the members at the ends opposite the thread-receptacle and in communication with said groove, and means for clamping said members together substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER BEHR.

Witnesses:

LEONORE KAsoH, ANNA DIPPEL. 

